FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — It was right after the USMNT’s roster reveal event in New York, and Weston McKennie wasn’t having Tyler Adams’ attempt to play to the crowd.
“Behind closed doors, he’s not a Knicks fan,” McKennie said, right after the Wappingers Falls native had talked about his excitement over the Knicks clinching a spot in the NBA Finals.
As for the truth of that, it’s probably somewhere in between. Adams, along with the three other New York natives on the roster — Tim Weah, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally — all ply their trade in Europe, only coming back stateside a handful of times a year.
So it’s a safe bet they aren’t staying up until the wee hours in the middle of their own seasons to watch the Knicks.
Nevertheless, since arriving here in the run-up to the World Cup, they’ve embraced it like so many other lapsed fans who’ve rediscovered their dedication amid a playoff run that’s galvanized New York.
“I am a Knicks fan, I was very happy [last night],” Scally said Thursday of the Knicks’ rousing comeback win in Game 1 over the Spurs. “We got a lot of New York guys on the team, so we were all very happy.”
The New Yorkers didn’t all watch the game together, Scally said, though a few did. Given basketball’s popularity in Europe, even some players who grew up on the continent have gotten into the act.
“I hope the Knicks win, yes,” said Malik Tillman, who was raised in Germany.
If the Finals go to a seventh game, Game 7 would be June 19, right after the USMNT faces Australia in its second World Cup match. That would be something of a sports apocalypse, though Adams is hoping it doesn’t get that far.
“Knicks in four, baby,” Adams said last week. “I’m excited about the Knicks making the run that they’re on. … Something special for the city. If they win a championship, I’m sure the city will go crazy.”
As players have scrolled social media and seen the scenes in Manhattan that have followed Knicks wins, it’s easy to wonder what it might look like after a hypothetical knockout round victory.
Gaining mainstream traction for soccer in America has long been one of the goals of this World Cup. A USMNT run would be the best way to do that.
“I mean it’s a different sport,” Tillman said. “But I know Americans can go crazy. Hopefully they will do the same for us.”
As for the World Cup, U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino and captain Tim Ream gave speeches thanking employees at the National Training Center on Thursday before the USMNT departed for Chicago.
That was followed by a flyover.
